The Six Last Words of Judas (Under the Fig Tree Part 49)

On Good Friday, we hear the seven last words of Jesus. Prior to that, it is Judas, one of the apostles, who speaks. Judas betrays Jesus his Master.

      Today there is much betrayal of Jesus happening in the Church, by those in his inner circle within the hierarchy. Such betrayal reflects the mistaken emphasis on man rather than God, on helping the poor rather than proclaiming the gospel, on social justice rather than the call to holiness.

       Let us see what Judas says and does.

“Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages and given to the poor?” (Jn 12:5)

     Mary anointed the feet of Jesus with costly perfumed oil. Judas criticized this as waste, not because he cared for the poor but because he was a thief who stole from the contributions.

    Social justice is a big thing in the Church. Indeed Jesus came to bring glad tidings to the poor. But somehow the emphasis on helping the poor has often marginalized the basic mission of proclaiming Christ and his righteousness. Many Church programs that purport to help the poor often are done in collaboration with organizations that, aside from helping the poor, promote abortion, contraception and LGBT. This is also the case with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which aside from aiming at eliminating poverty, look to gender equality (read: LGBT and DEI) and healthcare (read: abortion).

     The emphasis is on the well-being of man rather than the righteousness of God. In fact, in approving such things as priestly blessing of same-sex couples, sinners are kept in their sin.

“What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” (Mt 26:15)

      Judas went to the chief priests and sold Jesus out, getting paid thirty pieces of silver to hand him over to them.

   While the secular world should look to helping the poor materially and physically, the Church’s more basic focus should be on people’s spiritual well-being. When the Church looks to social justice rather than righteousness, the emphasis is then on love for humanity and not love for God. It is building the city of man rather than the city of God. It is trying to move the poor out of temporal suffering rather than into the Kingdom of God.

     Mary looked to glorifying our Lord, while Judas sold him out. This happens even now in the Church. Some priests and hierarchs approve of giving Holy Communion to notorious pro-aborts, to active LGBTs, and to the divorced and remarried. Thus they demean the sacrament.

“Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” (Mt 26:25)

      At the Last Supper, Jesus told his disciples that one of them would betray him. They were deeply distressed and began to disavow any such act. Judas did likewise.

    Jesus had told his disciples that one of them is a devil. It is interesting that Jesus gave Communion to Judas, at which time Satan entered him. This was because he did not believe in the Real Presence and thus committed sacrilege. And Judas was also the first person to leave the Eucharistic celebration before it ended. When Judas left, it was night. It was the dark night of his soul.

      Today, in the name of inclusion, some clerics give Holy Communion to active grave sinners, without requiring confession and repentance. Some parishes offer LGBT Masses, which celebrate not Christ but homosexuality.

“The man I shall kiss is the one, arrest him and lead him away securely.” (Mk 14:44)

      At Gethsemane, Judas arrived with a crowd with swords and clubs. Judas had arranged a signal and that was a kiss.

    Today, modernists in our Church align themselves and collaborate with enemies of the Church, such as LGBT ideologues, pro-aborts, globalist elites, climate alarmists, depopulationists, liberals, vaccine mandate tyrants, social justice warriors, Communists, Islamists.

     As Judas’ signal is a kiss, so too do modernists proclaim God’s mercy and love for everyone while ending up working against Christ. It is interesting that such modernists do not outright deny Jesus, but speak well of him in moving their agenda forward.

“Hail, Rabbi!” (Mt 26:49)

     Judas went over to Jesus and kissed him, triggering his arrest.

   Judas continues to recognize Jesus as Rabbi and kisses him, while actually betraying him. Church modernists continue to speak of Jesus as Savior and Lord, while undermining his being such. These modernists claim that there are many ways to God (not just Jesus), that proselytizing is wrong (but Jesus commanded us to make converts), that active homosexuals can be blessed (thus keeping them in their sin). Jesus is no longer truly the Lord that needs to be obeyed.

“I have sinned in betraying innocent blood.” (Mt 27:4)

     Judas deeply regretted what he had done, returning the thirty pieces of silver. Then he went off and hanged himself.

     Judas recognized his sin and repented, but instead of going to Jesus, as Peter had done, he instead went to the chief priests and elders. He confessed his sin to man but not to God. Then he hanged himself. He decided on his own penalty.

      Today there are those Catholics, often misled by modernist clerics, who ignore age-old Church teachings on sin, and instead seek consolation and acceptance from such heretical clerics and their own kind. They look to the human and not the divine.

     Even now, there are those who look to transforming our Church into a false church, one focused on the well-being of man rather than the righteousness of God. Jesus continues to be betrayed. And at times it will seem as if the forces of evil are triumphing, but we know that Jesus will rise from the dead.

     Our Church is not of Judas but of Jesus.

SALVE REGINA